


Operation Mistletoe

by magickalmolly



Category: High School Musical (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-06
Updated: 2017-01-06
Packaged: 2018-09-15 08:53:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9227729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magickalmolly/pseuds/magickalmolly
Summary: The Christmas party is in full swing. Chad stands in the foyer so he can oversee the festivities taking place in the living room





	

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written December 23, 2008.

The Christmas party is in full swing. Chad stands in the foyer so he can oversee the festivities taking place in the living room. His friends are scattered throughout the room, eating and laughing and generally having a good time. Chad grins to himself. This is his first real party (one that doesn't involve a piñata or party hats, anyway), and he wants to make sure everything is perfect. 

Music is playing on the stereo: something holidayish, but not anything Chad's parents would choose. There are trays of food on practically every flat surface, and a big bowl of egg nog in the kitchen. The living room looks warm and festive. Stockings hung by the fireplace and all that. Chad's mom had actually done most of the decorating, but Chad had helped. Especially the part where he'd hung mistletoe. 

Lots of mistletoe.

Of course, once Chad's mom had seen how much of it he'd strewn about, she's shaken her head and insisted Chad take it down. _All_ of it. She'd told him she didn't want his first unchaperoned gathering to turn into a make-out party. 

Chad had argued that mistletoe was a classic holiday decoration, and didn't she trust her baby boy enough to know he'd be good? The only reply Chad received was a withering stare. 

Chad had spent the next hour undoing his plan, grumbling to himself all the while.

But that was earlier that day, and since then everything was going perfectly. Including the rehanging a large sprig of mistletoe just as soon as his parents' car was out of the driveway.

It needed to be there. Because even though his mother had thwarted his original plan, Chad had figured out a most excellent Plan B. 

Operation: Mistletoe was a go.

"Hey, Evans," Chad calls from across the room. "I need your hat."

Pausing in his conversation with Kelsi, Ryan casts a skeptical eye from over his cup of egg nog.

"Why? What're you going to do with it?"

"Nothing!"

When Ryan doesn't seem convinced, Chad gives him his best innocent look.

"Relax, dude, I won't hurt it. I promise." Chad crosses to where Ryan sits, and holds out his hand. In his other he clutches a small stack of note-sized papers, each folded in half. 

Ryan only sits where he is, and as he looks up at Chad, he slowly arches one eyebrow. 

Chad resorts to puppy dog eyes. "Aw, c'mon. Please?"

"No, explain that first." Ryan's gaze focuses pointedly on the papers. When Chad cups them closer to his chest, Ryan's mouth curls into a little smirk.

Neither boy says anything for a long moment. Chad, quickly losing patience, sighs exaggeratedly. 

" _Fine_..." 

But instead of telling Ryan what he's up to, Chad turns to the room and loudly clears his throat. 

"Hey. Guys?" Conversations and laughter both fade, and everyone turns their attentions to Chad.

"I think it's time we play a game." 

Chad looks to Ryan, grinning his most charming smile. "And just as soon as I have a hat..." 

Sighing, Ryan makes a show of removing the festive top hat he's wearing. He hands it to Chad with a look that threatens bodily harm if his property is damaged.

Chad ignores the silent threat and takes the hat with a bright smile. 

"So, here's what we’re gonna do. I've written names on these pieces of paper, and I'm gonna put them into the hat, just like this..." 

Raising the hat up high, Chad lets the little slips of paper drop into it, one by one. 

"Someone'll pick a name from the hat. The name they draw is the person they have to meet under the mistletoe." 

Chad waggles his eyebrows suggestively. 

A murmur runs through the crowd, but it's Troy who speaks first. 

"Whoa. Time out, hoops." Troy sits up where he is, and slings a protective arm around Gabriella's shoulders. "Some of us have a girlfriend."

Chad just shakes his head. "And some of us don't." 

He winks at Taylor, who dimples a smile back at him. They'd been just friends for months now, and they were happier for it. Actually, everyone was happier for it. Much happier.

"Look," Chad continues, "I'm not saying you gotta like, _do_ anything. It's just...pick a name, meet under the mistletoe, and let whatever happens happen." 

Chad looks around the room to gauge the reactions of his friends. Most everyone seems accepting of the game. Except for Troy, who's dragged Gabriella impossibly closer. Gabriella only smiles helplessly, giving Chad an apologetic shrug. 

Zeke casts longing gazes Sharpay's way, who is too busy examining her nails to notice. Taylor seems dubious, but Chad can tell she's blushing. Kelsi is definitely blushing, and Martha and Jason and Kim are all whispering to one another. 

Ryan watches Chad with an expression of amused curiosity. 

Chad kind of likes that. Actually, he likes that a lot. 

"All right?" Chad nods enthusiastically when he gets several nods in reply. 

"Awesome. And to show you how easy it is, I'll even go first." 

Holding the hat up so everyone can see, Chad shakes it a bit, then swirls it around as if to mix up the papers inside. With the hat still held aloft, Chad reaches his free hand up and digs around for a good long minute. 

He purposefully takes his time, trying to stretch out the suspense.

"You better not ruin the lining, Danforth," Ryan shoots a pointed look at Chad. But Chad can see Ryan trying to hide a smile, and Chad flashes him a slow grin.

"I'll be gentle, I promise." 

This comment produces a few muffled sniggers from his friends, and Chad continues to smile, unfazed.

Finally, and with a flourish, Chad produces a folded slip of paper from the hat. He shows it off as if it were a rabbit, and he is waiting for applause. 

Zeke laughs, "Dude, just open it already," Several other people chime in, encouraging Chad to reveal the name.

Chad can't deny enjoying the attention, and he takes his time to unfold the slip, holding it at arm's length so he can read it.

But when he reads the name on the paper, Chad blinks. Then his smile slips a little, and those who know Chad really well would be able to see (if they thought to look) that he'd begun to blush.

"Who'd you get?" Jason asks, voicing the question everyone was thinking.

"Um..." 

"C'mon, Chad..." Taylor grins toothily over at Chad from where she's perched on the sofa. "You _have_ to tell us. You're the one who wanted to play this game, after all." 

Really, Chad adored Taylor, but sometimes he wished she didn't remember _everything_.

Chad still doesn't answer, and he swallows against a mouth that's suddenly gone dry. 

Annoyed with waiting, Sharpay huffs an annoyed breath.

"Oh, for the love of Prada, give me that." 

Sharpay shoots out of her chair and advances before Chad can think to move, and she snatches the paper right from between Chad's fingers. Chad is left staring down at the space where the paper had been, then up at Sharpay, whose face has suddenly split into a frightening grin.

Cackling, Sharpay flounces across the room to Ryan. 

"Oh, brother dearest...you need to see this." She drops the paper in his lap.

Chad watches nervously as Ryan reads the paper. After he's done so, Ryan only gives a curt nod, short and decisive. 

Setting his egg nog on the nearest flat surface, Ryan places the paper next to his drink, then rises to his feet.

A soft wave of laughter, as well as several cat calls, flow through the room. 

Encouraged by the reaction, Ryan grins, and Chad's heart, which had annoyingly stopped when Sharpay took the paper from him, now thunders back to life. The rush of blood to his head makes Chad momentarily dizzy. 

Yeah, that's it. Certainly not the sight of Ryan's little pink tongue slipping out just enough to wet his own lower lip. Not the realization of what they are about to do.

No. Not that at all. 

Closing the distance between them, Ryan slowly looks Chad over. "So, Danforth, are you man enough to meet me under the mistletoe?" 

For all that Ryan's words are meant to be taunting, Chad can see a bit of softness in the other boy's gaze. He's giving the Chad the chance to back out. And even though he came up with the game, Chad considers taking it. All his friends are here, watching. 

But instead, Chad finds his confidence, and he finds himself smirking back.

"I'm game if you are, Evans."

As if on cue, the whole room goes "Oooh...!" Gaze locked with Ryan's, Chad hardly notices. 

Ryan gestures with one hand, motioning for Chad to walk ahead of him, and Chad's feet miraculously obey, leading them to the center of the room. 

Hanging from the ceiling beam is the mistletoe. Chad eyes it warily, and then Ryan even moreso. But Ryan doesn't look nervous. No, Ryan just looks amused, and Chad hates that Ryan has all those acting skills and knows how to school his features. There's nothing on Ryan's face but a placid smile and a patient expression. 

Bastard.

Well, fine then. If Ryan could be cool about this, then Chad would be cool, too. It's only a kiss after all. And yeah, it _was_ Chad's idea to play this game, and so he couldn't punk out now. Not that he had plans to, even if the whole school was watching.

Chad Danforth never stepped away from a challenge.

Ryan clears his throat, and Chad's thoughts scatter, running off as quickly as they had come. Ryan's eyes flick down to where Chad's hand is tugging nervously at the edge of his t-shirt, and his eyebrow rise slowly, half of his pretty pink mouth pulling up into a smirk. Something about the amused expression makes Chad snap. 

Ryan agreed to play the game same as the rest of them, but fuck if Chad is going to let him be _cocky_ about it.

Reaching the both of his hands out, Chad draws Ryan to him with a single, forceful tug, and covers Ryan's mouth with his own.

 _Take that, Evans_ , Chad's mind quips, but it's the last thing it thinks for quite a while. Ryan's mouth is surprisingly soft under his. Pliant, open. And Chad knows he should be pulling away – one good smack and be done with it, right? – but. But he finds himself moving closer, even as his brain begins to shut down, drawn in by the strangeness (wonderfulness) of it all.

Not only is Chad kissing Ryan, but Ryan is most definitely kissing Chad back.

Ryan's tongue, softslick and seeking entrance to Chad's mouth, forces the air from Chad's lungs with a single caress, and Chad worries that his knees will knock together before he manages to lock them into place. They're the only thing holding him up as his lips slide over Ryan's, and as Ryan's lips close again over his.

Everything about this moment pinpoints into sharp focus. This is not a simple kiss. Not a playful holiday smooch for a stupid party game. It's...well, Chad doesn't know _what_ it is, but maybe when the blood comes back to his brain, he'll figure it out.

The pressure of Ryan's hands around Chad's waist surprise him. Soft but firm, they ease Chad closer still, and that's an unspoken request Chad can't even think to ignore. It only takes a simple shift for their bodies to press together completely, belly to belly and chest to chest. 

Everything feels warm and firm and very _very_ good.

It seems forever before Chad can actually pull away again. Certainly not because he wants to stop kissing, but because somewhere in the far recesses of his conscious, Chad knows this is neither the place or time. The game was to kiss someone under the mistletoe, not throw him to the floor and have your way with him.

Chad vaguely thinks to himself he'll have to suggest that game to Ryan later. 

Looking down, Chad finds Ryan's eyes turned up to him, soft and open and wow, were they always that blue? There's a tug in the bottom of Chad's belly at the sight of Ryan like this, and Chad kisses him again, simply because he knows now that he can.

Ryan pulls back this time, chuckling softly under his breath, and he rests his forehead against Chad's, the both of them completely lost in the moment. But something's nagging at Chad, confusion mostly, and he can't stop himself from voicing what's on his mind.

"Ryan...? Uh, did you—?"

Nodding, Ryan makes a soft noise in his throat, part confirmation, part contentment. Such a little sound, but the hairs on the backs of Chad's arms rise to hear it. He unconsciously presses closer.

"Didn't think you were interested," is Ryan's simple reply. 

Chad blinks at that, and then breaks out into surprised laughter, shaking his head. "Wow. You totally haven't been paying attention if you thought I wasn't _interested_." Color stains Chad's cheeks, but his words are true, and he doesn't look away. 

"You could ask anyone—" 

The sudden realization that they're not alone dawns on both boys at the same time. 

Ryan pulls back a step, and Chad does as well, each of them blushing. But when they look around, equally embarrassed and curious to see the reactions of their friends, all they find are discarded drinks and empty seats.

Everyone's gone. Neither Ryan nor Chad heard them leave. 

Turning to Chad again, a slow smile spreads across Ryan's face. But then his gaze flits down to the floor, and he frowns at the sight of his top hat there. 

Chad accidentally dropped it when they kissed, and the slips of paper that filled it lay scattered between their feet.

Seeing that his plan is in danger of being revealed, Chad hastily drops to his knees to pick the papers up. But Ryan is quicker. 

"No, dude, I got—" Ryan scoops up several of the papers and rises again. He unfolds them so he can read them out loud, one by one.

"Ryan...Ryan..." Slowly, Ryan's mouth curls into a grin. "Ryan...Oh, and here's a surprise: Ryan." 

Laughing, Ryan looks to where Chad is vainly trying to gather up the rest of the papers. Squatting down again, Ryan leans forward to brush his mouth against Chad's.

"You're a total dork. But you're cute. I think I'll keep you."

Chad can't help but to grin widely.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," A small nod, and Ryan drops to his knees and presses himself closer to Chad, leaving no room for anything between their bodies but Chad's imagination. Which is firing up into high gear.

"And I think you need to give me a kiss for each of these," Ryan holds up the papers in his hand.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Ryan's smile goes sly. "Unless you want to call everyone back in here, and let each of them have a turn with me under the mistletoe?" 

Chad's expression drops, and Ryan can't help but to laugh.

"Chad."

"...Yeah?"

"Would you just kiss me again already?"

Chad hastily does as he's asked, and Ryan seems more than satisfied.

~fin~


End file.
